Character from Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The Jesuit who discovered the cruciforms among the Bikura — crucified himself to a Tesla tree for seven years to escape the parasite, then was resurrected as Pope Teilhard I against his will.
Paul Duré was a Jesuit priest-archaeologist exiled to Hyperion for falsifying research records. On Hyperion, he discovered the Bikura — a tribe of humans kept alive by cruciforms, reduced over generations to sexless, mentally stunted automatons by the parasites' resurrection cycle. The cruciforms preserve life but degrade it with each iteration. To escape his own cruciform, Duré crucified himself to a Tesla tree — a living conductor that discharges blue-white electricity. For seven years. Hoyt found him and carried both cruciforms back to civilization. After the Fall, Duré was resurrected as Pope Teilhard I — named after Teilhard de Chardin. He was murdered five times by Cardinal Lourdusamy to resurrect Hoyt (who became Pope Julius). Duré is the Cantos' most purely victimized character — exploited by parasites, by institutions, and by the narrative itself.
Emaciated, scarred, with the gaunt look of a man who spent seven years nailed to an electrified tree. His eyes carry the particular horror of someone who has experienced both death and resurrection and found neither satisfactory.
Also known as: Duré, Paul Duré, Pope Teilhard I